Glaucoma Screening

Glaucoma is caused by a number of different eye conditions which in most cases produce increased pressure within the eye. This elevated pressure is caused by a backup of fluid in the eye. Over time, it causes damage to the optic nerve. Through early detection, diagnosis and treatment, you and your optometrist can help to preserve your vision.

What are the effects of glaucoma?

To understand how this increased pressure affects the eye, think of your eye as a balloon. When too much air is blown into the balloon, the pressure builds, causing it to pop. But the eye is too strong to pop. Instead, it gives at the weakest point & closes the fragile arteries supplying the optic nerve and causing these fibres to die. The optic nerve is the part of the eye which carries visual information to the brain. It is made up of over one million nerve cells and while each cell is several inches long, it is extremely thin -- about one twenty-thousandth of an inch in diameter. The result is permanent visual loss. Early diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma can help prevent this from happening.

How to treat glaucoma

Glaucoma can be treated with eyedrops, tablets, laser surgery, eye operations, or a combination of methods. The whole purpose of treatment is to prevent further loss of vision. This is imperative as loss of vision due to glaucoma is irreversible.